Native American Mythology [Paperback]

Hartley Burr Alexander (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 21, 2005

This fascinating and informative compendium of Native American lore recounts the continent's myths chronologically and region-by-region, offering a wide range of nomadic sagas, animist myths, cosmogonies and creation myths, end-time prophecies, and other traditional tales. Legends include stories of sun worship, trickster pranks, the ghost world, and secret societies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (September 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486444155
• ISBN-13: 978-0486444154
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #337,041 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Text Book, not Good Story Book, March 25, 2008

By 

J. A. Atkins (APO, AE United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Native American Mythology (Paperback)

If you are looking for text book that outlines native american mythology and categorizes it by region, this is the book for you. A word of caution though, it is extremely wordy and overly scholarly. It almost seems like the author had a thesaurus next him. Honestly, it took 30 pages before it I had to put it down or fall asleep. I never would have guessed that stories passed down through oral tradition could be worded so dull! The stories are outlines, with little to no background, and the author does nothing to put them into perspective. But again, if you are looking for a text book that outlines the mythologies and categorizes them by region or ethnicity, this is the book for you.
Unfortunately I bought this one thinking I was going to get the stories and how they related to the times and the people. I was obviously disappointed in that regard. If you are looking for a book that focuses on the stories and people, American Indian Myths and Legends by Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library is a little more up the alley.